Package



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PACKAGE Filed Oct. 29, 1938 HOWARD B. TOME! INVENTOR- BY I/ ORN- [Patent ed Apr. 9, 1940 PATENT OFFICE PACKAGE Howard B. Tolley, Upper Montclair, N. J., as-

,signor to National Biscuit Company, New York, N. Y.,' a corporation of New Jersey Application October 29, 1938, Serial No. 237,646

Claims.

My invention relates. to packages and particularly to a package in which two or more ingredients or articles are packaged and kept separate until such time as the purchaser may want to use them when the package may be manipulated to mix the two ingredients or artinuts andcoat them uniformly.

Doughnuts, both sugared and plain, are dm cles, if mixing bedesired, or it maybe opened and the articles removedseparately, if that be preferred; Y I

I have illustrated my invention embodied in a package for doughnuts, wherein the doughnuts and sugar arepacked in a single container on opposite sides of a flexible separator, which separator will bend whenthe package is inverted and shook so as to sift the sugar over the doughtributed now to a very large extent in sealed packages containing either'six or twelve, which packages are put up at the bakery. Plain doughnuts in their packages reach the consumer in good condition, butwith sugar coated ones, the sugar tends to coalesce and also absorbs grease which detracts from both the appearance and saleability of the articles. My invention overcomes this difficulty by keeping the sugar and doughnuts separate until the consumer wants to eat them. Another disadvantage attendant upon sugaring the doughnuts before packaging is thatthe coating of sugar must be made heavier or thicker than needed, because a considerable part of it will 'fall off due to handling and there must be enough left clinging to the doughnuts to thoroughly sugar them when they reach the ultimate consumer. This excesssugar that ordinarily is wasted and adds to the expense of the doughnuts is saved by the present invention, because I place in the container only the amount of sugar necessary to properly coat the doughnuts. My invention also has this advantage, that the consumer can control the amount of sugar on the doughnuts, that is, they can be sugared lightly or heavily, or they can be used plain by opening the package without inverting or shaking it. Still other advantages of my invention are the low cost of the package, its ease of filling and sealing, and the fact that it is not necessary to break, tear or open any partof the package in order to dust the sugar over the doughnuts, or mix whatever ingredients may be contained in it. Other advantages and uses of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the packaging or bakery arts.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown an embodiment of my invention wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a doughnut package; Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view thereof, taken as on the line 22; and Fig, 3 is a similar sectional view of the package inverted.

A cardboard carton which is shown as 'a shallow rectangular cardboard tray 5 of a length-suitable to hold a number of doughnuts 6 stacked on edge, has its sides I cut away at 8 so as to display the contents effectively. When making up the package, the tray 5 is first set up by turning up the sides 1 and interlocking the flaps 9', ID at each end. A quantity of sugar I l, sufiicient to sugar the number of doughnuts that the tray will hold, is then placed in the bottom and covered with a sheet of. flexible material l2 which preferably is a grease resistant material as wax paper, Cellophane and the like that will prevent grease from the doughnuts 6 penetrating to the sugar H. This flexible sheet is approximately the size of the tray or carton and fits fairly close to the side and end walls so as to cover the sugar, but is loose along at least one side, and preferably along both sides. The stack of doughnuts 6 is 1 next placed in the tray on the separator l2. The

entire package (when an open tray is used) is then enclosed in a wrapper I3 which may be cellophane that is folded over the ends as at l4 and sealed by heat or otherwise against the bottom of the tray.

After the packages have been scaled, they are packed for shipment and handling with the sugar side down and carefully kept that way until delivery to the store. When a purchaser wishes to sugar the doughnuts, he turns the sealed package upside down which causes the flexible separator 12 to bend down at the two sides, as shown in Fig. 3. This lets the sugar I l trickle or sift down over the doughnuts and by shaking the package slightly, the doughnuts become evenly coated. If only a light coating is desired, the

amount of shaking will be less, and if plain doughnuts are wanted, the package will be opened without inverting or shaking it. It is thus seen that my invention provides means whereby the consumer can have freshly sugared doughnuts at all times, or sugared to any desired degree. Also a minimum amount of sugar is required at a considerable saving to the baker. The package as a whole presents an attractive appearance, efiectually displays the contents, and avoids the unsightly, sticky appearance that usually accompanies bakery sugared doughnuts.

When a more durable package is required, the

tray 5 may be replaced by a cardboard carton that completely encloses the doughnuts, in which case the outer wrapper may be omitted.

I have shown doughnuts and sugar contained in the package, but it is within the contemplation of my invention that it may be used with other articles and materials. For example, two or more ingredients of a chemical compound, mixture or medicine could be packaged in this manner, to be mixed just before using. Also cookies, tarts, candies or other foods could be packed instead of doughnuts.

Having thus described one form of my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A package of the class described comprising a carton having a bottom wall, a flexible separator of substantially the same dimensions as the bottom wall insertable in the carton after a layer of finely divided material has been placed on the bottom, and means for closing the top of the carton after other material has been placed in the carton and on said flexible separator, said separator serving to keep said two materials separate when said carton is in upright position but sufficiently flexible to bend when the carton is inverted and permit the material that was below it to sift past its flexed edges and contact the material that was above the separator.

2. A merchandise package of the class described comprising a carton having a flat bottom and an open top, a layer of finely divided material on said bottom, a flexible separator overlying said material and loose along at least one side, a number of articles of larger size resting on said separator and filling said carton but leaving at least one edge of said separator free, and a wrapper enclosing and sealing said carton and contents.

3. A package of the class described comprising an open top rectangular tray, a loose rectangular separator of approximately the same dimensions as the bottom of the tray insertable therein after a layer of finely divided material has been placed therein, and a transparent wrapper for enclosing and sealing said tray and contents, said wrapper being folded and sealed against the ends and bottom of said tray.

4. A package of doughnuts comprising a rectangular cardboard tray, a layer of sugar on the bottom thereof, a rectangular sheet of flexible material covering said layer of sugar, a stack of doughnuts resting on their edges on said rectangular sheet and leaving the edges thereof free, and a wrapper enclosing and sealing said tray and contents.

5. A merchandise package comprising a container having a layer of powdered material on the bottom thereof, a loose partition wholly within the container and supported on the powdered material and normally separating the powdered material. from the upper part of the container, a number of articles in the container resting on the partition, means for closing the container above the articles, whereby the articles and powdered material normally occupy different compartments in the container, the partition being constructed and arranged so that upon inversion or shaking of the package the powdered material will sift past the partition and over the articles in the other compartment.

HOWARD B. TOLLEY. 

